My new Dremel set-up

I decided that some carving tools would help speed the process of wood removal for shaped bowls.  After asking around, I figured that my best bet, for starters, was to get some carbide burrs for my Dremel.  I bought three different shapes with 1/8" shanks, dusted off my flex shaft and holder, bought a leather glove to protect the "holding" hand and gave it a try.  I also positioned myself by the drill press, where I have a pretty efficient dust collection system, and also could sit at a comfortable height.

The results seemed good enough to order another Dremel (reconditioned, without accessories) so I could have it ready to go without having to change over parts.  Here's a picture of my set-up:

If all goes as planned, I should have some interesting projects to post down the road!

Too sharp an angle, too little room

Round bowls are very forgiving, but once you move into shapes with tighter curves, you have to be sure that you can sand the lowest ring.  After I lost my first blank because of the lopsided pattern, I had to reduce the size of the pattern for the next attempt by 1/2" so it would fit the wood I had.  I forgot that the effect on the bottom edge of the lowest ring was likely to be dramatic.

Sure enough, even with my little round inflatable, there was no way I could sand the lower edge into a rounded shape and still have enough wood left to glue on the base.  I gave it my best shot, but sometimes you just have to give up.  These are views of what the top and bottom of the lower ring looked like, before I realized that it just wouldn't work.

I solved the problem by re-cutting the lower rings at a slightly smaller angle, which gave me more room to maneuver.  For the next petal bowl, I'm going back to my full-sized pattern.  Should make the sanding a lot simpler!

My new petal bowl

Finally finished the bowl, and it will serve as a prototype for variations that I'd like to try.  I'll be covering various aspects of this type of construction over several posts.

This is what the finished bowl looks like.  It consists of three separate elements: incurving rings for the lower part and bottom, incurving rings for the upper part, and a flared ring for the outcurving petals.

Here's what the rings look like, and how they stack together.  You can see why it's necessary to have all blanks and tops clearly marked to avoid mixing up the rings.















The rings have to be glued in stages in order to sand the insides.  The more work that can be done at this stage, the easier it will be to work on it once assembled.  Here are some of the parts ready to glue and sand.  The only type of sander that can be used is the round inflatable, both larger and smaller sizes.  Sometimes it's necessary to use them with a flex shaft if the drill chuck gets in the way.

I'll cover other aspects of the construction in later posts.  If you have any specific questions, please feel free to post comments or send an email.

New bowl shape in the works

For the past week, I've been working on a new bowl shape that I've been wanting to try for some time. It's been an exercise in frustration, but I think it's going to work out.  First try, I discovered that my pattern was lopsided.  Of course I didn't notice this until I had cut a full set of rings.  It was not lopsided enough to be interesting--just looked weird!  Designer firewood for sure!

Second attempt ended when the first ring for the bottom half of the bowl split just after it was cut.  I was using Philippine mahogany, which is very porous, for the prototype, and there was a defect in the wood.  I was afraid that even if I glued it together, it would break under the pressure of the bowl press.  More designer firewood!

So, I gave it a third attempt. Unfortunately, the only remaining wood I had was not a good match for the top set of rings, but I was desperate.  So far, so good, but I've gone through just about every sander I own to get the shape I wanted.  I'm now looking into some small power carving tools, since my sanders are not small enough and take too long to remove the wood.

Once the bowl is finished, I'll post it, along with some process pictures.  It's been a challenge, but points to some interesting possibilities for scrollers looking for some new ideas to play with.

A different perspective

The two most neglected areas of scrolled bowls tend to be the top and bottom edges of the rings.

It takes a lot of patience to get the top rim evenly thinned and shaped.  And the lower edge of the bottom ring, which can't be sanded after the base is glued on, is often a nightmare.  Take off too much wood and you can't glue the base on.  I've found that sanding that ring upside down makes it easier to see the actual shape and where work needs to be done.

Just for fun, I shot pictures of two recent bowls from the top.  The effect is quite interesting and you can clearly see the shaping of the bottom ring.  I'm always very relieved when that part is done, since it's easy to lose control of the rings and have it snag on the sander and go flying.  Even if no one else notices, it's nice to be satisfied with the finished job.

Drill press is fixed--lesson learned

New belts arrived on time, we cleaned up all the debris and filed down the rough spot on one of the pulleys that we think caused all the trouble.

The first thing I noticed was the tremendous decrease in vibration when I sanded.  I had assumed it was me, or the sanders, but it must have been the failing belt.

Lesson learned: when tools start sounding or acting "funny", that's a signal to check out belts, tighten nuts, and attend to anything that could be a source of the problem before it gets worse.

Tool maintenance (sigh!)

Here I was, sanding away at the last of a set of three related bowls that I've been eager to post, when suddenly the drill press chuck stopped dead but the motor kept on whirring.  Yup--broken belt!  Not just broken, but pretty badly shredded.  So, tomorrow I'll try to hunt down a replacement and get the machine up and running and see if we can figure out what happened to destroy the belt so badly.

It's tough to remember to check tools periodically when they're running fine, but I'm going to have to develop better habits if I want to keep my tools, and me, happy!

On a brighter note, the first of my new bowl projects will be appearing in the December issue of Creative Woodworks & Crafts.  It's a rounded square bowl with a decorative rim--not difficult but quite nice.  Two other projects will be appearing at some point in other publications--I'll post notice of those as soon as I know when they will appear.  Glad my drill press held up until those were all safely submitted!

My Hegner scroll saw

I enjoy sharing my experiences with tools with other woodworkers, especially since there are so few places see or test out tools before buying.  This video focuses on those aspects of the Hegner that make it a fine tool to own, and a rewarding one to use.

Measure twice, cut once--with a twist!

You're probably familiar with the old adage cautioning you to re-check your measurements before you make your cuts.  One problem, however, is that if you made a mistake once, you're likely to make the same error when you repeat your measurements.

To help minimize the waste of time, energy, and wood, here are two suggestions:

First, use a different method to measure the second time.  For example, if you used a ruler the first time, use a tape the second time.  If you measured top down the first time, measure bottom up the second time.

Second, take advantage of another person's input.  Even if that person is not a woodworker, he or she can still help you measure.

Joe and I just replaced a rotten piece of fascia that had three angled cuts to make.  Joe made an error on length, and I made an error on one of the angles.  Between us, however, we managed to complete the job with only one minor re-cut, and no lost wood.  BTW, never be tempted to use pre-primed finger-jointed wood for the exterior, especially for horizontal applications--it's worth the extra cost of decent wood to avoid the risk of premature rot.

Scroll saw inserts

Some scroll saws, like the Hegner, have removable center inserts, while others, like the DeWalt, have an opening for the blade that is cut directly into the saw table.  Having used both types of saws, I prefer removable inserts.  Here's why:

1. If you accidentally cut into the table itself, there's not much you can do to correct the problem.  If you cut into an insert, you can replace it easily.

2. If you need more support for your workpiece than a regular insert (left) provides, or if you are cutting tiny pieces that will fall through the opening, you can replace the regular insert with a zero clearance insert.  The one for the Hegner comes uncut (center), and you cut into it with the blade of your choice (right).

If your saw has no insert and you must reduce the room around the blade, you can make do with a playing card taped to the table--less elegant, but better than nothing.